Tag Archives: Caribbean cruise

MSC Cruises Adds New Accessible Shore Excursions

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MSC Cruises today announced the roll out of its accessible shore excursions program to five more ports this winter and three additional ports for summer 2020. MSC Cruises aims to ensure that guests have the largest variety of shore excursions possible to suit all needs. Hence MSC Cruises is introducing its Accessible Tours Program, extending the availability of tailored shore excursions for those with varied mobility, the company said in a statement. “MSC Cruises is committed to offer an incredible choice of shore excursions designed to suit all tastes, giving guests the freedom to make the most of every moment ashore,” said Jean-Pierre Joubert, Head of Shore Excursions at MSC Cruises. “We have always been sensitive to the needs of our guests, and constantly strive to offer the best possible service, meeting international accessibility standards. This program is unique because for the first time we offer accessible tours available in both popular cruise regions of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.” The tours and excursions have been created with careful consideration for safety and accessibility, allowing all guests to explore each destination in total comfort: tour routes are completely step-free and accessible to wheelchairs wherever possible; only short distances are covered; timings are run at a slower pace; and accessible restrooms with wide doors are planned along the route. Family members and friends can also join these inclusive tours, with the comfort of small groups led by professional tour guides experienced in working with guests with varied mobility. The Accessible Tours Program includes the San Juan (Puerto Rico) shore excursion that combines the best highlights of San Juan into one accessible tour. Escorted by their own tour guide, guest will enjoy a leisurely stroll in the Old Town, and experience panoramic driving tour of the spectacular old Fort San Cristobal, the breathtaking El Capitolio, the famous Casa Olimpica and other popular landmarks. The Marseilles (France) excursion will bring guests to a hill with views of the city, after which they will travel back in time while exploring historic landmarks including the Old Port and accessible parts of the 17th-century Fort Saint-Jean.

MSC Cruises announced the rollout of its accessible shore excursions program to five more ports this winter and three additional ports for summer 2020.

MSC said it aims to ensure that guests have the largest variety of shore excursions possible to suit all needs. Hence MSC it is introducing its Accessible Tours Program, extending the availability of tailored shore excursions for those with varied mobility, the company said in a statement.

“MSC Cruises is committed to offering an incredible choice of shore excursions designed to suit all tastes, giving guests the freedom to make the most of every moment ashore,” said Jean-Pierre Joubert, Head of Shore Excursions at MSC Cruises. “We have always been sensitive to the needs of our guests, and constantly strive to offer the best possible service, meeting international accessibility standards. This program is unique because for the first time we offer accessible tours available in both popular cruise regions of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.”

The tours and excursions have been created with careful consideration for safety and accessibility, allowing all guests to explore each destination in total comfort: tour routes are completely step-free and accessible to wheelchairs wherever possible; only short distances are covered; timings are run at a slower pace, and accessible restrooms with wide doors are planned along the route. Family members and friends can also join these inclusive tours, with the comfort of small groups led by professional tour guides experienced in working with guests with varied mobility.

The Accessible Tours Program includes the San Juan (Puerto Rico) shore excursion that combines the best highlights of San Juan into one accessible tour. Escorted by their own tour guide, the guest will enjoy a leisurely stroll in the Old Town, and experience the panoramic driving tour of the spectacular old Fort San Cristobal, the breathtaking El Capitolio, the famous Casa Olimpica and other popular landmarks. The Marseilles (France) excursion will bring guests to a hill with views of the city, after which they will travel back in time while exploring historic landmarks including the Old Port and accessible parts of the 17th-century Fort Saint-Jean.

Two cruise lines regroup after Caribbean setbacks

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The Norwegian Sky in Havana in a 2017 photo.

Norwegian Sky outside Havana Port, Cuba.

Two cruise companies affected by sudden upsets in the Caribbean and Bahamas region are slowly regaining their footing.

For Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), the big blow was the abrupt end to U.S. cruises to Cuba in June. NCLH had bet heavily on Cuba’s reopening, scheduling not only short cruises on its contemporary Norwegian Cruise Line brand but longer visits by its two premium brands, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

As detailed in a conference call with investors, the U.S. government decision to shutter Cuba with no advance warning hit NCLH third-quarter earnings big-time.

“Given the suddenness of the termination and the lack of lead time we had to make any meaningful fleet redeployment changes, the third quarter bears the largest negative earnings impact from the Cuba travel ban,” said Frank Del Rio, the company’s CEO.

The hit was more than $47 million.

Overnight, high yielding routes to Cuba for the Norwegian brand turned into low-yielding routes to the Bahamas. And several months later came Hurricane Dorian, which made its own dent in NCLH’s earnings through cancelled sailings and reworked itineraries.

Del Rio said Norwegian plans to redeploy half of its Bahamas capacity to higher-yielding areas such as Alaska, the eastern Mediterranean and Asia, and will slowly get out from under the Cuba aftermath.

Even more impacted by Dorian than Norwegian was Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, whose only destination is the Bahamas.

It suspended its two-day sailings to Grand Bahama for most of September, filling in the time by providing much-need relief and evacuation services.

The silver lining, of sorts, is that Dorian forced Bahamas Paradise into a new market, Nassau, which was not much affected by the storm. It now runs one of its ships from West Palm Beach to Grand Bahama and the other to Nassau.

Bookings for Nassau started slow, said Francis Riley, senior vice president of sales and marketing, but are now on par with those to Grand Bahama. Part of the attraction is the Cruise & Stay program where guest can vacation for two or four nights at one of four Nassau hotels:  Atlantis, The Melia, the Comfort Suites Nassau or the SLS Baha Mar.

Bahamas Paradise has a similar program in place on Grand Bahama with the Lucayan, which has reopened, and the Viva Wyndham, which plans to reopen Dec. 10.

Unlike Norwegian, Bahamas Paradise doesn’t have plans to go elsewhere, and it is busy selling the Bahamas to Canadians and New Yorkers, who have just started getting the frosty temperatures they can look forward to until next spring.

Report Shows Cruising’s Growing Appeal

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Bahamas, cruise, ship

PHOTO: Cruise ships at a port in The Bahamas. (photo via Brand X Pictures / Stockbyte / Getty Images Plus)

Cruising continues to grow in popularity with the American public.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) estimates that by the end of 2019, approximately 30 million people around the world will have set sail on a cruise, and it’s likely that Americans make up a sizable chunk of those choosing to cruise.

In 2017, CLIA found that nearly 12 million cruisers were from the United States, making it one of the leading markets.

New research from YouGov also revealed a strong appetite for cruising among U.S. travellers.

The survey found that three in 10 (31 per cent) of Americans had been on a cruise and one in six (16 per cent) plan on taking a cruise within the next 12 months.

In addition to knowing how many people have cruised, the YouGov analysis reveals travellers’ intent to cruise.

The survey found that 6 per-cent of Americans say that it will be their first time cruising. Twelve per cent indicated that they have been on a cruise before and plan to take another cruise within the next 12 months—market size of 31 million people. There are 46 million Americans who say that they have been on a cruise but do not plan to take one in the next 12 months, and 64 per-cent (approximately 160 million) Americans have not been on a cruise before and don’t plan on going on one within the next 12 months.

Within the never-cruised segment, there are a few important data points. These non-cruisers are likely not taking a vacation in 2019, but many could be considering travel in the coming year.

Among total cruisers, demographics give insight into who is looking to cruise in the future. Seven per-cent of first-timers were millennials, 8 per-cent were Gen-Xers, 4 per-cent were baby-boomers, and 1 per-cent were silent generation.

When it comes to repeat cruisers, 16 per-cent were millennials. Eleven per-cent were Gen-Xers, 10 per-cent were baby boomers, and 12 per-cent were silent generation.

Those who lapsed a year or more between cruises were most likely to be silent generation cruisers at 32 per-cent. Baby boomers made up 23 per cent of this group, Gen-X was 17 per-cent and millennials were 14 per cent.

The YouGov survey also found that first-time cruisers were more likely to be African American, live in cities and more likely to vacation with their children. Two in five are parents with children under the age of 18 and more than one-third have travelled for business and leisure this year.

When targeting this group, go beyond traditional social media. Ads in podcasts, movie theatres and billboards catch the attention of first-timers.

Couple taking a selfie on a cruise ship
PHOTO: Couple taking a selfie on a cruise ship. (photo via michaeljung/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Like first-timers, a family is a big consideration for repeat cruisers. Many are parents and many more bring family members with them when they cruise.

YouGov found that repeat cruisers were more likely to look to advertisements when choosing which cruises to take and preferred ads tailored to them. Social media advertising was also more appealing to the repeat cruiser and they most frequently use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Cruising is more popular with East Coast and travellers in southern states, likely because the proximity to homeports simplifies travel. Regardless of location, however, cruising’s ability to act as an intersection between experiential travel and innovation and convenience appeals to a wide variety of Americans.